Broken Boundaries
by katieemilyy
Summary: She's the Gryffindor good girl. He's the Slytherin bad boy. Is it so wrong for them to be together? House boundaries are hardly enough to keep them apart. TRMM.
1. Chapter 1

"I'll be right there girls, I just want to grab a few things before dinner," said a beautiful young woman in her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Alright, we'll save you a seat, but don't take too long, you don't want to keep your public waiting," answered the girl's best friend, a fourth year Ravenclaw whom she had known her whole life.

"Sounds like a plan," said the Gryffindor as she made her way to the common room.

"Immortales Uirtutem," she said and gained access to the cozy Gryffindor common room.

The girl went up to the girl's tower to her bedroom and rummaged around in her trunk in search of her books and quill. She had an unusual amount of homework for the evening from Professor Dumbledore. She was always very fond of the professor and transfiguration was her favorite subject, but like any teenage girl, she felt she had better things to do than sit in the library and write ten inches on turning a beetle into a button.

Once she had retrieved all of her books and her favorite quill, she exited the portrait hole and headed for the great hall for dinner. However, on the way there, she found her path blocked by a Slytherin with the most beautiful brown eyes she'd ever seen, a fifth year boy all of the girls swooned over.

She cleared her throat in the hopes the boy would get the hint and let her pass him.

"Can I help you?" He asked. She couldn't help but detect the slightest bit of what seemed to be impatience mixed with disbelief, as if no other girl had ever needed him to get out of her way.

"As a matter of fact you can. I would love nothing more than to be able to go to dinner without having to deal with another Slytherin who thinks that they can do whatever they want. Now get out of my way before I'm forced to move you myself." She remarked as she walked by him, bumping his shoulder roughly in the process.

The boy was intrigued, he couldn't deny it. There was something about this girl, different than all of the other girls who only wanted to get on his good side in the hopes of dating him. Those girls bored him. This girl was different, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to make a good first impression. So what if she was a Gryffindor? He liked her spunk, simple as that.

"Hey wait, come back, I'm uh, sorry. It's been a long day; I didn't mean to be rude." He stretched his hand out to her. "My name is Tom, Tom Riddle."

Reluctantly, she shook it.

"Minerva McGonagall. I would say it's nice to meet you, but to be honest I'm not sure it has been; now if you'll excuse me Tom, I must be going." And with that, she pivoted and went into the great hall.

He liked her. That was it, he didn't know why, but that was how it was. Minerva. He'd have to remember that one, but no one could know. If anyone found out he was even slightly interested in a Gryffindor, he'd never hear the end of it.

Minerva entered the Great Hall and took a seat next to Rubeus Hagrid, a third year Gryffindor, and across from Ruth McCarthy, the fourth year Ravenclaw. They were her best friends in Hogwarts, and quite possibly the world. Although Rubeus had the annoying habit of always wanting to show her the creatures he had found in or around the Forbidden Forest. The forest was forbidden to students, but being half giant, Rubeus always said that if there came a day he came across a creature he couldn't either befriend or scare off, he would stop going into the forest. Minerva decided it was only fair.

Ruth also had an annoying habit, but thankfully it had nothing to do with the Forbidden Forest. Ruth had quite another problem. She was very much interested in meeting people of the opposite sex. In other words, she was what Minerva liked to call "boy crazy". Not that it was anything new. But the real twist on dinner that night was Ruth's new obsession: Tom. If Minerva had told Ruth about her little encounter with Tom, the questions would never end. Are his eyes as beautiful up close? Did he smell nice? Could you tell if he had muscles? All questions Minerva seriously wanted to avoid.

"So, how was everyone's day?" asked Minerva.

"Not too bad, I saw Tom again today. I passed him in the library today and he looked right at me! It was amazing, and before you laugh, just know that I'll be the one laughing once he admits he likes me," said Ruth.

Minerva rolled her eyes. Rubeus was the one who spoke up.

"Yer still goin' on bou' that boy? Slytherin's ain' nothin' but trouble. The lot o' them are jus' bad news all aroun', bes' not be gettin' involved with one o' their lot, Ruth."

Minerva instinctively patted his knee. Rubeus had been in love with Ruth since his first year when he met her, and always tried to get her off the topic of boys, it just upset him, and it hurt to know he could never have her. He felt like he was a freak, and a "normal" girl would never want him. Minerva of course, knew he was the most wonderful boy in the world, and if they weren't like brother and sister, she'd date him herself.

"Honestly Ruth, do you ever stop thinking about that boy? So what if he's 'attractive'? That's not all that matters. He could be a total doorknob, and you would be too blinded by beauty to see it," Minerva said coolly.

"Alright, point taken. So Rubeus, do you know what our homework for Professor Merrythought's class was?"

The rest of dinner was a blur before Minerva excused herself to go to the library to work on her own homework for transfiguration class.

She sat at a quiet desk in her favorite place; the corner of the library where no one ever bothered her, either because they didn't see her, or they didn't dare disturb her. She had quite the reputation as a force to be reckoned with, mess with her, and you'd regret it. Actually the only one who ever bothered her was Walburga Black, a snotty Slytherin girl in her year.

As soon as he walked into the library he saw her. Minerva, sitting all alone in a corner with her books out in front of her and her quill effortlessly gliding across her parchment. He casually walked over to her and stood across from her, waiting for her to notice him. Finally, she looked up.

"Oh, uh, hi Tom, what brings you here?"

"Well my dear, it's a library, and I'm a student, yeah big mystery," he said as he flashed his perfect white smile.

She flinched; she never liked boys calling her pet names. "I mean in my corner, bothering me while I'm trying to do my homework."

"Well, I just saw you over here and thought I'd say hi."

"You said it, and yet you're still here, is there something I can help you with?"

Okay that was it; he didn't just have a little crush on her. He felt like he was infatuated. He had talked to this girl twice in his life, and he could tell she was different. She didn't take any nonsense from anyone, and she was a strong, independent young woman. He knew that she was perfect for him, but convincing her of that would be a problem.

"May I sit down?" he asked.

"If you must," she replied. "But I must warn you, I'm not going to be much for conversation, I really need to finish." This was a lie. She had finished mere seconds before Tom walked over to her, but she didn't want to run the risk of walking around the castle with him, so she decided to stay put.

"So, Minerva." He began, not knowing exactly what was going to come out of his mouth. "I'm not sure how to say this but I think the sorting hat may have made a mistake."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, you see, you're just about the cleverest, most cunning girl in this school, so why aren't you in Slytherin?"

"I don't know, ask the sorting hat, I didn't put myself in Gryffindor, he did."

"That answer is bollocks and you know it," he said.

She blew out an exaggerated sigh. "I've always considered myself different, ever since I was young, but I consider myself to be a very courageous young woman. I can't remember ever being afraid of things when I was a girl. But to be honest with you Tom, I figured I'd be in Slytherin as well. In fact, I wanted to be. But the sorting hat thought otherwise, so here I am." She was surprised at herself; she had never shared that with anyone before, not even Ruth or Rubeus. Tom wasn't many things, but he was easy to talk to.

"Well, it's too bad you're not in Slytherin, we could use someone like you in our house, plus if my friends ever found out I had a crush on a Gryffindor, they'd have my head.

Despite her best efforts, the slightest shade of pink stained her cheeks. "Well that's too bad I suppose. Perhaps you should date Walburga Black; I've heard she fancies you."

"Walburga is full of hot air, and she's a total bitch. I shot her down the second she showed interest. She's just like all the other girls; beautiful, but boring. Now you on the other hand, are the entire package, beautiful, and you keep me guessing. I like that."

Her cheeks flamed scarlet now. "Well I really must be going, but it was nice to talk to you, I'll see you around." She said as she stood and gathered her things.

"Well uh, Minerva; listen, I've got time, may I walk you to your common room or something? I'll tell you what, I'll even carry you books."

She was truly torn. She thought Tom was genuine, and he clearly liked her, and she thought she may like him, probably only as a friend, but what's the harm in exploring? "Aren't you worried about your friends seeing us? Your Slytherin friends?"

"Forget about them, they can deal with it. So, what do you say? May I walk you to your common room?"

She sighed. "Sure, but I'm taking you up on carrying my books."

"Deal." he said.

They walked in silence for most of the way, but it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, it was peaceful, almost a natural silence. Tom didn't complain about carrying her books, and thankfully they didn't see any Slytherins on the way, although a few Hufflepuff second years gave them a look of confusion; after all, it wasn't common for Slytherins and Gryffindors to get along, let alone walk places together.

Once outside of the portrait hole, Minerva broke the silence.

"Well, this is my stop, thanks for carrying my books."

"Any time," Tom said as he handed them to her. Their eyes met, and Tom didn't quite know if it was just the moment, or because he thought it was a good idea, but before he could stop himself, he bent to her level and kissed her.

Minerva was so surprised that she actually started to kiss him back before she realized what she was doing. But after a few seconds, she wrapped her head around what was going on and lightly pushed Tom away. She didn't want this; this wasn't right. She turned and quickly walked up the stairs to her left, not wanting Tom to know the password for her common room.

"Wait! Minerva! I'm sorry, I- I wasn't thinking!" He called after her.

Only this time, she didn't turn and talk to him; she just kept going up the stairs, mentally kicking herself for being so stupid


	2. Chapter 2

After an hour of wandering aimlessly around the castle, Minerva decided to go back to the common room; surely the coast was clear, right? Wrong. Sure enough, there was Tom, sitting outside the portrait hole, reading a book called _Secrets of the Darkest Art_. It was probably a homework assignment for Professor Merrythought.

"Go away Tom, I need to get into the common room," said Minerva, standing her ground. She was done running; she was a Gryffindor, and she ran from no man.

"Not until you listen to me. I'm sorry." Tom said.

"Is that it? I want to get to bed, because I'm not getting a detention for being out of bed after hours, and if you get me one, I will never forgive you."

"Minerva, I get the feeling you're never going to forgive me for kissing you anyway; one lifetime hatred at a time."

She cringed at hearing what they did said out loud. It sounded so wrong.

"Very funny. Now may I please go to bed?"

"Not until you tell me why you freaked out back there. I know I was moving too fast, I'm sorry. Can't we just pretend it never happened and start over?"

"Tom, I'm going to tell you this one time: if you don't get out of my sight in ten seconds, the last thing you'll have to worry about is why I 'freaked out'. Now go."

"But Minerva I-"

"GO!" She commanded. She was being unreasonable, and she knew it. But she and Tom wouldn't work out, they simply couldn't, and she wanted to spare herself the heartbreak.

Reluctantly, Tom turned from Minerva and headed to the Slytherin common room. Never in his life had he felt so rejected, so foolish, or so angry. Who did she think she was? He was handsome, smart, and he actually liked her. Why wasn't that enough for her?

"Hey Tom," Walburga Black said flirtatiously as soon as he entered the common room.

Just what he needed right now, Walburga batting her eyelashes at him and making him feel even worse than he already did.

"Hi, sorry, I'm in a hurry, I'm going to sleep, goodnight." He said and forced a smile.

In his room, Tom remembered all of the events from that day, the day he met Minerva. The day his life went from planned out to the last detail to complicated mess, all because of those stunning green eyes of hers.

She was just a girl; he knew that, there were girls all over Hogwarts, beautiful Slytherins, gorgeous Ravenclaws, lovely Gryffindors, hell, there were even some Hufflepuffs he wouldn't mind dating - if they weren't Hufflepuffs. But all the beauty in the world couldn't compete with how he felt around Minerva. She was real, and she didn't trip all over herself to get to him, she was independent, she was perfect. Tom didn't believe in love, but if he did, he would choose to love Minerva.

"I'm in way over my head. she's just a girl, a _Gryffindor,"_ he spat the last word. "Ugh, who am I kidding, she could be a Hufflepuff for all I care: I just want to be with her."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or Potter

The next day had been mostly a blur for Minerva,but not because of Tom. Surprisingly, she hadn't thought about their encounter the day before at all; she decided not to care. It was just one of those days where she couldn't get her mind to work properly. She went to Slug Club as she always did when there was a meeting; she had yet to miss one, and found herself sitting between Mary and Rose O'Connor, two of the kindest people she had ever met. She made small talk with them until Professor Slughorn entered the room and silenced everyone.

"I'll be having a Christmas party this year for all of my Slug Club members Saturday at seven o'clock sharp. But, for this party, I've decided to do something different. I will be picking your dates. I know that there is a lot of tension between the four houses, and without naming names I'd like to end such tension," said Slughorn

Professor Slughorn was nothing if not kind, and he probably honestly did want to bring the four houses together, but matching up houses with "tension"- which everyone knew meant Gryffindor and Slytherin- was not a good idea, nor was choosing everyone's dates, but he led the Slug Club, so what he wanted to do was what happened.

"Now, for your dates, they are as follows: Mary O'Connor will go with Raymond Smith. Rose O'Connor will go with Kenneth Frost..."

Minerva tuned Slughorn out until she heard her name.

"Minerva McGonagall will go with Tom Riddle…"

Of all the boys in the Slug club, she had to go with Tom. Honestly, it's as if the whole world wanted her to suffer. She looked around the room for Tom, and spotted him on a couch nearby, looking directly at her, his expression unreadable. She would simply have to make the best of a bad situation.

Tom shifted a bit in his spot on the couch, keeping his eyes on Minerva. Slughorn announcing that they would be going together didn't seem the phase her in the slightest. It was as if yesterday didn't happen. That surprisingly upset him; he wanted her to be as confused as he was, and he wanted them to suffer together. He didn't want to care, but he couldn't help it.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so I've got a few more chapters that need to be worked on, but please feel free to review! I'd love to hear what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Potter.

The night of Slughorn's dance, Minerva sneaked Ruth into Gryffindor tower just like she did every time she needed help getting ready. She was determined not to let slip to Ruth that she was going to the dance with Tom, and told Ruth she was going alone. She felt bad lying to her best friend, but the guilt was better than giving her a full report about the number of teeth Tom had or whatever other insane questions Ruth would ask.

Minerva chose a simple dress, modest lavender that went to her knees, with one strap going over her shoulder, and silver heels. Ruth agreed to curl her hair and do her makeup; no doubt so that she could use it as leverage to get a favor from Minerva later on.

Minerva walked nervously to the dance and spotted Tom on her way there. She walked up to him, and noticed that he truly looked heartbreakingly handsome. "You look very nice tonight Tom," she said, not wanting to give him the wrong idea.

"Thank you Minerva, you look absolutely radiant," he said confidently.

That was one thing Minerva couldn't deny- she absolutely adored that Tom said what was on his mind, and didn't hold back out of fear of being embarrassed.

"Thank you, really. Shall we?" she asked, motioning toward the party.

"Absolutely," he said sticking out his arm so that she could put hers through it.

They walked into the room, and silence filled it. It was as if Grindelwald himself had walked in and helped himself to some butterbeer and appetizers. She was confused at first, but then soon realized why everyone was staring; they were a very attractive couple. Despite herself, Minerva found herself liking the attention.

"Care to dance?" Tom asked, gesturing toward the dance floor; a slow song was playing.

"Uh, sure," she replied hesitantly.

They made their way to the dance floor, where she rested her hands behind his neck, and he rested his on her waist. They swayed in safe circles, trying not to draw attention to themselves.

"Minerva, we need to talk," Tom said.

She sighed, "I know we do, I just don't know what to say."

"Well I do, so you just listen and I'll do the talking. I'm sorry I kissed you the other day, I was in the moment, and the only reason I regret it is because it drove us apart. We're no good for each other, you're in Gryffindor, I'm in Slytherin, you're clever and funny, and I'm well, me. What I'm trying to say is, we shouldn't be together, because it doesn't make sense, but I like you, and I know you like me too, and that's all that matters."

For the first time in a long time, Minerva was speechless. Tom, in her eyes, was perfect for saying that. She had decided not to care about Tom because they wouldn't work out, but she hadn't realized that didn't matter as long as they still had feelings for each other. The feelings that he had for her, the feelings that she returned, could overcome everything else.

She couldn't think of the words to say to him, so she simply moved her face closer to his. He seemed to receive the message, and he closed the gap and kissed her. Everyone in the room went silent and stared at them, but Minerva didn't care, because she had Tom, she didn't know how long she would have him, but right then and there, she was in his arms and that's all that mattered.

They broke apart and danced the rest of the night, barely talking, just enjoying one another's company until it was time to leave. When they parted he kissed her again, and she was floating on air all the way back to the common room. Ruth was going to kill her: the whole school now knew about her and Tom, but she couldn't bring herself to care.


	5. Chapter 5

"You BITCH," yelled Ruth.

Minerva and Rubeus had been eating breakfast while she told him all about the dance and what happened after the library with Tom. Minerva was talking very fast, and Rubeus was listening, nodding occasionally and not interrupting at all. That was why Minerva loved Rubeus and why he was her best friend; he was a great listener, and he wouldn't judge her.

When Ruth came to breakfast, all hell broke loose- she was angrier than Minerva had ever seen her.

"I'm your BEST FRIEND. Does that mean nothing to you? I've been blabbering about him like an idiot for a week without knowing he's been kissing you every chance he gets! Why didn't you tell me?" Ruth demanded.

"Ruth, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I honestly didn't think it was going to turn into anything until the dance."

"You didn't even tell me you were going to the dance with him! I even helped you get ready and did your hair and makeup to match that hideous dress you wore! You are the worst friend ever, and I will NEVER forgive you for this," she spat and walked away furiously.

"It'll be alrigh', she'll, be over it in a week Minerva, don' even worry yerself 'bou Ruth, she's jus' embarrassed." Rubeus said, trying to give Minerva comfort in the most uncomfortable situation she'd ever been in.

"Thank you Rubeus, I know it will, she'll get over it, she always does." said Minerva, she knew it would blow over; it was just a matter of time.

Tom was in his room planning, and thinking. Not about Minerva, but about the horcruxes. He knew making just one wouldn't be enough; one horcrux would be all too easy for someone who wanted to kill him. He knew what he had to do, and he had it all planned out. He was going to kill Myrtle McDougal, an outcast Ravenclaw student. He chose her because it would be all too easy to kill her without being caught: she was always alone, and no one at Hogwarts would miss her.

It was only a matter of time before someone made the girl run crying to the bathroom, and then all he had to do was get his precious basilisk to look into her stupid little eyes. It would be easy. All he needed now was someone to blame for the girl's death.

Later that day, Tom spotted Minerva in the library after potions class; she was in her corner as always, studying what looked like transfiguration. He always hated the subject, well mostly the professor. Dumbledore was too smart to be teaching a transfiguration class, and it was annoying how he always knew everything. If it wouldn't draw so much attention, Tom would gladly kill Dumbledore to make a horcrux instead of Myrtle, but he didn't see a way he could get away with it.

He approached Minerva and sat right across from her. He didn't need to ask her permission anymore, and he liked that.

"Do you ever do anything besides homework?" He asked playfully.

"As a matter of fact I don't. Feel free to break up with me if I get good grades this term," she shot back with a slight smile.

"Will do, so what are your plans for this evening?" he asked.

"The usual, dinner with Rubeus and Ruth, assuming Ruth isn't still mad at me."

"That Ravenclaw fourth year? Why is she mad at you?"

"It's a long story, but basically, she was trying to get you to like her, well she was obsessing really."

"And now she's jealous"

"I don't think it's jealousy as much as me keeping us a secret from her, she feels foolish."

"I see, well it's almost time for dinner, shall we go to the Great Hall?"

"Certainly, I'd love that," she added with a smile. "But you won't be sitting with us right?"

"Why wouldn't I, you are my girlfriend aren't you?"

The word _girlfriend_ sent a delightful shiver down her spine. "Of course I am, but aren't you worried about what your friends will think?"

"My friends are neanderthals, let them think what they want." and with that, he took her hands and pulled her up from the desk.

"What about my books and quill?" she asked; she was always so paranoid about leaving her things unattended.

"They'll be fine, I promise, I don't think anyone but you and I even know about this little corner, let's go get some dinner."

"Alright." she said, smiling once again.

They entered the Great Hall where he spotted Rubeus Hagrid, a half giant third year, an oaf in Tom's opinion, but if he said anything to Minerva, she'd never forgive him.

Tom and Minerva sat next to each other and across from Rubeus.

"Hello, Rubeus, is it? I'm Tom, Tom Riddle, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Er- hello Tom, nice ter meet ye."

"Where's Ruth?" Minerva inquired.

"Dunno, haven' seen her today," said Rubeus.

"Just as well I suppose," Minerva said as she saw Ruth walk in laughing with a group of Ravenclaw's.

The way Ruth looked at her- a face she'd never seen on her best friend before, a mixture of hatred and contempt- made Minerva completely forget about her manners and values. If Ruth wanted to be a bitch, Minerva could be too.

After making sure Ruth was looking, Minerva leaned over and kissed Tom. All of her hate melted for that few seconds, and she didn't care about anything. So what if Ruth was being a bitch? So what if she was making Rubeus turn bright red because he was watching the entire scene unfold? So what if Ruth had tears in her eyes? Minerva had Tom, and that was all she needed... wasn't it?

When she pulled away, she quickly looked in Ruth's direction and shot her a look that said 'go ahead and hate me, I have what you want and I'm better than you for it'. Ruth quickly turned and ran full speed out of the Great Hall, but Minerva didn't care. The only thing that seemed to be on her mind was how cold and cruel she was when she was around Tom, it scared her.

Surprisingly, Rubeus was the first to speak. "Yeh bes' be goin' after her Minerva, er else she'll be cryin' the res' o' the nigh'."

"No," said Minerva. "If she wants to be a bitch, then she will be treated like one." The words felt completely wrong and even after she said them, she didn't believe it. What Minerva had done was inexcusable, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was beginning to hate the person she was when she was around Tom, and maybe it really wouldn't work out.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you, after all she had it coming, I saw the way she looked at you. Who cares what some stupid little mudblood thinks of you?"

Minerva never really payed any attention to the fact that Ruth was muggle born, even being pure blood she never thought it to be a big deal. But Rubeus wouldn't stand for such talk, because he slammed his hands down on the table.

"Don' you EVER be talkin' bou' Ruth like that. Shes twice the witch ye'll ever be, and I won' be hangin' 'round with anyone who thinks diffrnt."

With that, he stood and stormed out of the Great Hall. Minerva sat quietly as if nothing had happened, Tom was cold, but she wanted him all the same, and at the time, that was enough to overlook how cruel he could be.

"The big oaf needs to calm down, it's not like she would even care that he was defending her mudblood honor." Tom said. He figured if he could get away with calling Ruth a mudblood, calling Rubeus an oaf wouldn't be a problem.

"I suppose," said Minerva doubtfully. "I think I should go to the library and get my things, I'll see you later."

She got up and walked in the direction of the library without so much as looking at Tom, she didn't like what she was like when she was around him. She needed space.

Once she arrived at the library, as Tom had promised, her things were untouched. She quickly gathered them, stuffed them into her bag, and decided to go to the Gryffindor common room, the one place she knew she wouldn't run into Tom. She was having serious doubts about being with him, and she needed to clear her head.

On the way to the common room however, she hear noises coming from the girls lavatory. When she peeked her head inside, she saw a Ravenclaw girl she thought was in her year, but she wasn't sure. The girl was crying her eyes out, and Minerva realized it was Myrtle McDougal, a girl who was relentlessly teased by everyone.

"Hello," Minerva said. "My name is Minerva McGonagall, you're Myrtle McDougal aren't you?"

The girl sniffed and nodded, but said nothing.

Minerva wasn't sure what to do, but she did know one thing: she couldn't just leave this poor girl on the floor crying, she may have done some cruel things today, but she wasn't about to do something so mean to a crying girl, especially one she barely knew. So, she went and sat next to her.

"People can be so cruel, and you're obviously upset, but you can't let them get you down Myrtle."

"You don't know the half of it," Myrtle said. "Every day, people make fun of me for being ugly, or a know-it-all, or worst of all, they make fun of my glasses. I just can't take it anymore!" cried Myrtle as she burst into tears again.

Minerva put a comforting arm around her. "You want to know what I think Myrtle?"

Myrtle nodded, but again said nothing.

"I think that you're not ugly, in fact, you're probably prettier than a lot of the girls that make fun of you, you have a lovely complexion, and your hair is such a lovely brown. Know-it-all? That's just silly, you're a Ravenclaw, and everyone knows Ravenclaw house is famous for having the brightest in the school. And, if it makes you feel any better, I think your glasses are lovely, they compliment your cheek bones nicely."

Minerva knew she had overdone it, and that she was being far too sappy to be comforting a stranger on the floor of the loo, but she didn't care, she needed to prove to herself that she wasn't the cruel girl that kissed Tom to upset Ruth.

Myrtle sniffed and stood up. "Thank you Minerva, if you can take the time to say such kind things to a stranger, I suppose I can deal with people making fun of me."

Minerva smiled. "I'm glad, let me walk to back to your common room, it's the least I can do."

They walked to the Ravenclaw common room, making only small talk to the way there. It wasn't exactly awkward, but it wasn't very comfortable for either of them.

They reached the door and the eagle door knocker seemed to come to life.

"What ends before it begins?" the door knocker asked.

"Hmmmm." said Myrtle.

Minerva knew she couldn't be in Ravenclaw, she had heard a few of the riddles the door knocker had asked, and she almost never knew the answer.

"Well," began Myrtle. "I'd have to say the answer is tomorrow, because you can never say that it's tomorrow; tomorrow never truly comes."

"Correct," said the door knocker.

"Well thank you Minerva, for everything, really," Myrtle said.

"No problem." Minerva added with a smile, "goodbye Myrtle."


	6. Chapter 6

One of my favorite chapters because it really gets in Tom's head.

Disclaimer: I do not own Potter.

Tom knew that he was just a bit too cunning for his own good, and it was driving Minerva away. After what happened at dinner last night he wasn't sure she'd ever speak to him again. It probably didn't matter, considering in just a few hours he would be using Myrtle McDougal's death to turn his diary into a horcrux, but he didn't want their relationship to end until it was absolutely necessary.

So, after breakfast he looked everywhere for her, eventually finding her in her favorite corner of the library.

"Hey Minerva, I'm sorry about yesterday, things got a little out of hand," said Tom

"I know they did, and if you don't mind I'd rather forget that it happened at all," she said. He could tell she was stressed, but he had no idea why.

"So uh, how's Rubeus doing? Has he cooled off at all?"

"Yes, he was fine, but he, well I don't know."

"He what?"

"He found this giant spider in the forbidden forest, named it Aragog, he has it in a trunk in his bedroom."

Tom was intrigued. "Isn't he worried it'll escape and hurt someone?"

"Well, he said it wouldn't hurt a fly, but hopefully he'll put it back in the forest soon, he could be expelled for keeping it in the castle."

"I know, I can't remember the last time someone was expelled, especially for harboring giant spiders."

"Well I'm hoping he'll return it this week, but he loves the thing like a son, so I suppose we'll just have to let him do what he's going to do. So, shall we go to lunch?"

"Actually I have some studying to do, I just wanted to come say hi," said Tom as he leaned over the desk and kissed her for what was quite possibly the last time, so he made it last as long as he possible could. Surprisingly it lasted a full two minutes before she finally pulled away and began to gather her things.

"I'll see you later Tom," said Minerva, blushing.

"Yeah, see you later." he said. He would miss kissing her, but she wasn't worth giving up everything he was planning. He would probably never forget her, but she wasn't worth giving up being the most powerful wizard in history for.

He had opened the Chamber of Secrets, given the basilisk it's task, and was now waiting behind a sink for Myrtle McDougal to show up in the bathroom crying. It didn't take long either, after about twenty minutes of waiting, Myrtle came into the bathroom, slammed a stall shut, and was crying heavily saying things like "bone structure" and "Ravenclaw" to herself, it seemed like she was trying to comfort herself with the words someone else had said to her.

The scene was pitiful, and Tom wasn't about to watch her cry, he had to act now before anyone else showed up.

"The girl is here," he said to the basilisk in parseltongue. "You know what to do."

The impossibly enormous snake slithered out of the chamber and Tom decided to lure Myrtle out of the stall.

"Hey!" He yelled

"Go away!" she yelled and peeked out of the stall.

That was all it took. Her eyes met the basilisk's and the fell to the floor. He walked over to Myrtle to make sure she was dead, she was.

"You've done well my friend, go back to the chamber." Tom said to the basilisk in parseltongue.

The snake went back down into to bowels of the chamber, and Tom left the lavatory as if nothing had happened, they would find her body soon enough.

Tom quickly made his way back to the common room so that he could turn the diary into a horcrux.

He walked up to the entrance and said the password "pulsate vita dura" and quickly went up to his room and found the diary in his bedside table.

He pulled out his wand and said the spell "ego asinum foraminis". It hit him all at once, it was like someone had punched him in the gut with all their might, and then sucked the breath right out of him. He fell to the floor, writhing in pain as the diary began to shake as the piece of his soul was put into it. His stomach had a piercing pain in it, and he felt as though he would die. Suddenly, it stopped.

He didn't feel as changed as he thought he would. He looked the same, and he felt the same physically, but he could tell something was missing. It was indescribable longing, like his body knew what it had lost.


	7. Chapter 7

The news hit Minerva all at once the girl she had comforted just yeaterday, the kind sweet girl who was crying on the floor of the loo, was dead. It had been a seventh year Hufflepuff girl who told her, she found Minerva because the Hufflepuff and Myrtle had been close friends, and Myrtle had told the girl how Minerva had been so kind to her.

She spotted Tom outside of the Great Hall reading his book when she ran to him and crashed into his arms. She didn't know why she was so upset by Myrtle's death, but it was the first time one of her friends had died, and it didn't help that no one knew why.

"Tom! It's awful!" she said through her tears. "Myrtle McDougal is dead!"

"What? How? What happened?" He asked her.

"No one knows, they think it was some sort of attack. Poor girl, she was so nice!"

"It's okay Minerva, it'll all be alright, I promise." Then, it seemed as thought a light went on in Tom's head. "Maybe it was that spider Rubeus Hagrid has been keeping in the castle, it could have done this. I mean, who else would attack a poor innocent girl like Myrtle?"

She didn't want it to be true, but she had to admit that it was a little too convinient that Rubeus had been keeping Aragog in the castle when Myrtle was killed by an attack.

"No, Rubeus couldn't have done it." she said, trying to convince not only Tom, but herself as well.

"You never know, it's just susptious, but anyway, I have to go do something, are you going to be alright Minerva?"

"Uh, okay, yeah I'll be fine, I just can't believe it."

"It'll all be alright, I promise." he assured her, and gave her a tight squeeze before walking away.

Tom headed straight to Headmaster Dippet's office to frame Hagrid for killing Myrtle. It was almost too perfect.

"Professor, I think I know what happened to the McDougal girl. Rubeus Hagrid is in posession of a very large spider, he keeps it in his room in Gryffindor tower. It could have easily escaped and killed the girl without Hagrid even knowing. Or perhaps he sent the beast to kill the girl intentionally."

Professor Dippet eyed Tom seriously, analyzing his words. "Very well Mister Riddle, if you can prove that said spider exists, I will have no choice but to expel Mister Hagrid. We may as well go now, the night is still young."

Tom and Professor Dippet walked to Gryffindor Tower together, talking about the girl and what a shame it was that her death was so tragic.

"Papilla fumario," Dippet said when the portrait asked for a password.

They went up to Hagrid's room in the boy's dormatory, where the trunk containing Aragog was open, the spider in sight.

"Mister Hagrid I must ask you to step aside." said Dippet.

Hagrid saw Tom and gave him a look of both hatred and confusion. Hagrid would no doubt be expelled.

"Mister Hagrid if you will follow me to my office, we have matters to discuss, Mister Riddle if you will take this spider to the Forbidden Forest and set it free, it would be much obliged."

"Certainly, Professor." Tom said as they all left the common room. Tom went back to the common room and into his bedroom, where he got the best night's sleep he'd ever had.


	8. Chapter 8

Alright, so it's taken a while, sorry, I've been busy, but here you go. Review, I love to know what you all think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Potter

"You BASTARD!" Minerva screamed at Tom when he approached her in the Great Hall. "You got Rubeus EXPELLED! They snapped his wand and everything! You've ruined his life you-you WANKER." Minerva had never used the word before, but she couldn't think of a more appropriate one at the moment.

"Hagrid's spider killed a girl, what was I supposed to do Minerva?"

"You had no PROOF! How do you know it was the spider? Did you see it kill her? Were you there?"

People all over the Great Hall were staring now, watching the fight get more and more heated with every word.

"Well maybe if you weren't too blinded by your friendship with that bumbling idiot, you'd see that it was his fault!" Tom yelled.

Minerva couldn't think of any words hateful enough to express to Tom how awful what he did was, so she simply slapped him across the face so hard it left a hand print. "Don't you ever speak to me again Tom." she spat. "I hate you."

"You won't last a day without me you bitch, just wait and see," he said smugly.

Maybe it was the piece of his soul missing, but he didn't care at all that he just hurt Minerva, or that Minerva hurt him. He felt no emotion at all, he simply didn't care.


	9. Chapter 9

Well this is it, review and tell me what you thought. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Potter

For the rest of the term, Tom followed Minerva's order to never speak to her again. She was his one reason to regret what he was doing, the one thing that made him feel badly about the horcruxes and his plans to rule the world with magic. But all of that died when he started to make plans for his next horcrux, and gave himself the name Voldemort; a name he knew people would one day fear to speak. His dream of becoming the most feared dark lord in history was still being planned, but it was only a matter of time before he put his plan into action.

As for Minerva, she never really found love again, It wasn't because she was hung up on Tom, she was simply too much of a free spirit. She and Ruth never made up, their friendship was simply too damaged, but she kept in touch with Rubeus, who later worked at Hogwarts with her as gamekeeper. Upon leaving hogwarts, she worked for the ministry of magic before accepting a job as the transfiguration professor at Hogwarts. Tom had no doubt scarred her sixth year of school, but she wasn't going to let him scar the rest of her life.


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